Icemaster Max 4 Issues

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Rob2010SS

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I've been running this chiller for a bit over a year now and it's worked great for me. I'm now having issues and wondering if anyone has any hands on experience with this. I reached out to morebeer and I'm currently waiting for information from them. However, initial thoughts from them is that the temp probe in the glycol reservoir is corroded or misplaced and needs to be cleaned.

What I'm experiencing....
- If pump to fermenter is running at the same time as the unit is cooling the glycol reservoir, the stc1000 main controller on the glycol reservoir fluctuates wildly. It'll bounce all over the place making 2-3C jumps back and forth. It'll eventually start plummeting until it says like -21C and then all of the sudden it errors out with "EE".
- If I run the pump separately from the glycol reservoir, it works fine and does it's thing. I have to make little drops of 2-3C and it seems to handle it ok.

Unfortunately, I'm trying to crash a NEIPA at 2oz/gallon (17 gallons in tank) so I really need to get to cold crash temps but not sure if it will do it in this condition. I've successfully gotten it to 45F as of this morning.

Questions....
1. MoreBeer has stated that I need to locate the temp probe in the glycol reservoir and clean it. Anyone have any pictures of where this thing is?
- They've also stated that it could have been displaced but can't tell me where it SHOULD be placed. Anyone know this?
2. I do not have a multi meter. Would it be an easy task to just replace the probe on the stc1000 to see if it helps?

I'm sure there will be more questions as we go. Thanks in advance.
 
The wild fluctuations look like an electrical issue. I had an issue on my hot side controller that did the same thing and it was caused by oxidation of the contacts - removing and reseating it solved that problem.

Unfortunately, I don’t have an Ice Master, so can’t help on the specifics of the TC location. On my penguin chiller, it’s a black wire lashed to the copper coil and floats in the reservoir.
 
I have had similar issues with a STC-1000 on my kegerator. When the compressor cycles on, it caused wildly fluctuating readings. You can try re-seating the probe but it will probably not solve your problem. I would just replace the STC-1000 unit.
 
I have had similar issues with a STC-1000 on my kegerator. When the compressor cycles on, it caused wildly fluctuating readings. You can try re-seating the probe but it will probably not solve your problem. I would just replace the STC-1000 unit.

I'm trying to limp it through this beer and finish it out. It would make my life a lot simpler as opposed to trying to do that during the week and in the middle of a crash. I may go that route later though...
 
If I have an issue like this with my Max 2 chiller, I'll be looking to swap the STC-1000 unit with one that lists F instead of farking C. IMO, restricting the displays to JUST C was a stupid idea.
 
I'm not going to lie. I feel like there should be more support for this product from MoreBeer and I"m not getting s*** from them. They tell me it could be a number of things but nothing to help me diagnose or fix it.

I suppose replacing the STC unit won't be that hard. Just gotta figure out how to get it out of the unit and place all the wires in the same locations. Just frustrated I suppose...
 
Usually those PIDs are retained by a piece on the inside of the panel they come through. So you'll probably need to remove the housing from the main body. I don't have my Max 2 close to me to look at currently. I'm sure those screws are on the bottom, which means you'll probably need to drain it to get to them. Or, get help to lift it to a position where you can remove them. The Max 2 was heavy enough empty that I wouldn't want to lift it up filled, alone.

On the plus side, if you don't care about how it looks after you get the current PID removed, you could relocate it so it's easier to work on later.

Curious, how much use has your chiller gotten?? Run time hours estimate? You would think they'd make these robust enough to handle at least a good home brewer use level.
 
Usually those PIDs are retained by a piece on the inside of the panel they come through. So you'll probably need to remove the housing from the main body. I don't have my Max 2 close to me to look at currently. I'm sure those screws are on the bottom, which means you'll probably need to drain it to get to them. Or, get help to lift it to a position where you can remove them. The Max 2 was heavy enough empty that I wouldn't want to lift it up filled, alone.

On the plus side, if you don't care about how it looks after you get the current PID removed, you could relocate it so it's easier to work on later.

Curious, how much use has your chiller gotten?? Run time hours estimate? You would think they'd make these robust enough to handle at least a good home brewer use level.

It's ran roughly 14 brews over the last 10-11 months. 3 of those being lagers. I never actually shut it off completely when we don't have anything in the tank. I shut the individual controllers off but the glycol tank has always been on. Had I shut it off completely, I suppose it would have saved some time, but not much.
 
I've been planning to only run the main unit when I will actually be using it. Primary function will be for cold crashing ales. I might need to use it to maintain fermenting temperatures within the 'happy range' for the yeasts this summer. All depends on what the temperature in that room hits.

So if you've [basically] had the main unit running 24/7 for a year (or close enough), I'm not so concerned. I can see how I'll eventually need to get either another, or a different glycol chiller once I've moved (and setup the next brewery level). Right now I don't expect to need to chill/cold crash more than two fermenters at a single time.

Sidebar... I did connect the tubing for my Spike CF10 chill coils together at the PTC fittings (pulled from the coils) so that when the unit is running, and I don't want to have one (or both) with chilled glycol running through the coils, they'll be a loop. With this way, I won't need to get to the chiller itself to make any changes. I'm simply using some stainless tubing cut to 1-1/2" long to bridge the fittings. The chill coils have short pieces of 3/8" silicone tubing connecting them together. I'm rather space limited, so I have to do everything possible to not move things when not needed.
 
Alright, so need some guidance here.

I spoke with MoreBeer again on the issue with the EE error I was getting. I expressed my frustration with their lack of guidance and so they contacted the manufacturer and they came back and said it's for sure pointing to the probe as the problem. They told me that they expect it to be 1 of 2 things...

1. Either the probe is corroded
2. The probe is loose

I found the probe and inspected it. It's not a typical probe where the silver metal is showing. It's either black or it's got a black coating on it and it looked fine.

So then I followed that wire back to the STC unit and when I gave the wire a slight tug, it popped out really easily. I put it back in and while it doesn't seem to really snap into place, I think it's in there better than when I found it.

I just recently purchased a multi meter for something else. Now keep in mind, not really familiar with using multi meters but I had read that I can use it to check the probe to make sure it's still good.

How would I go about doing that? The connector on the end of the probe wire shown below. Is it as simple as inserting the two contacts on the multi meter into this plug? What setting should I be using on the multi meter?

Thanks for the help in advance.

plug.jpg
 
The
Alright, so need some guidance here.

I spoke with MoreBeer again on the issue with the EE error I was getting. I expressed my frustration with their lack of guidance and so they contacted the manufacturer and they came back and said it's for sure pointing to the probe as the problem. They told me that they expect it to be 1 of 2 things...

1. Either the probe is corroded
2. The probe is loose

I found the probe and inspected it. It's not a typical probe where the silver metal is showing. It's either black or it's got a black coating on it and it looked fine.

So then I followed that wire back to the STC unit and when I gave the wire a slight tug, it popped out really easily. I put it back in and while it doesn't seem to really snap into place, I think it's in there better than when I found it.

I just recently purchased a multi meter for something else. Now keep in mind, not really familiar with using multi meters but I had read that I can use it to check the probe to make sure it's still good.

How would I go about doing that? The connector on the end of the probe wire shown below. Is it as simple as inserting the two contacts on the multi meter into this plug? What setting should I be using on the multi meter?

Thanks for the help in advance.

View attachment 730904
The measurement works by tracking the resistance change of the probe and translates that into temperature.

Measure the resistance of the probe (ohms), assuming your leads are small enough to fit in the connector. If not, put some small gauge wire in the holes and hold the probes against them. It may also be that the probe is good but the connector is wonky. That usually requires a bit of finagling to ensure the pins are firmly seated within the connector through slight adjustments one direction or another.
 
The

The measurement works by tracking the resistance change of the probe and translates that into temperature.

Measure the resistance of the probe (ohms), assuming your leads are small enough to fit in the connector. If not, put some small gauge wire in the holes and hold the probes against them. It may also be that the probe is good but the connector is wonky. That usually requires a bit of finagling to ensure the pins are firmly seated within the connector through slight adjustments one direction or another.

So then what kind of measurement am I looking for when I do this?
 
So then what kind of measurement am I looking for when I do this?
When probes fail, they typically fail open, meaning you would read infinite resistance. Since you only note the issue when pump is running, I would measure the resistance with the probe submerged and the pump running and see if you get very large swings in resistance. If so, you have a faulty probe, if not, it’s the connector or the measurement device itself.
 
When probes fail, they typically fail open, meaning you would read infinite resistance. Since you only note the issue when pump is running, I would measure the resistance with the probe submerged and the pump running and see if you get very large swings in resistance. If so, you have a faulty probe, if not, it’s the connector or the measurement device itself.
Awesome! Thanks for the help! I'll give that a shot.
 
I have a Icemaster Max 2. I had the left pump turned off a while and now I'm trying to cold crash, but it the pump won't come on. The right side is working nicely, and I notice that one light is lit in the top left corner of the left / non-working side. As the manuals are awful, I have no idea what that light means.

So I have a couple questions:

1. Anyone know how to get the pump going?
2. Anyone know what that light means?
3. Anyone know what controllers are on the front (back is an ST-1000 I believe) and have a link to a manual?
PXL_20210727_002001127.jpg
 
I have a Icemaster Max 2. I had the left pump turned off a while and now I'm trying to cold crash, but it the pump won't come on. The right side is working nicely, and I notice that one light is lit in the top left corner of the left / non-working side. As the manuals are awful, I have no idea what that light means.

So I have a couple questions:

1. Anyone know how to get the pump going?
2. Anyone know what that light means?
3. Anyone know what controllers are on the front (back is an ST-1000 I believe) and have a link to a manual?View attachment 736948

I expect the light on the front shows activation for cooling (or heating for the lower light on the left). Not sure if this is your issue, but the one time I had a pump issue, it was caused by slushing in the tank that got pulled into the pump and locked it up.

With the light showing power to the pump, you can narrow your focus to pump failure, either mechanical (clog or broken impeller) or electrical (shorted windings).
 
Thanks. Shortly after I posted the other pump came on and the light came on, so I think you are spot on about it being the pump.

Anyone ever remove / replace a pump from one of these? As noted in other posts, MoreBeer has zero information on these devices.
 
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